Last week I was lucky enough to spend four wonderful days at a lake in northern Wisconsin with my son, daughter-in-law, and her family. Inspired by the beauty surrounding me, and a poem I read recently by Laura Purdie Salas, I decided to write a recipe poem about my visit to Lake Minocqua.
“Recipe for a Perfect Summer Day”
Take one lake filled with calm, clear water,
sun-warmed and sparkling.
Surround it with towering pine trees,
where bald eagles nest and perch.
Fill it with musky and largemouth bass,
walleye and northern pike.
Add:
pairs of loons, warbling their mournful cry,
graceful herons, still as statues on the shore,
iridescent dragonflies, darting over the surface.
Mix in families and friends who spend the day:
swimming and kayaking,
biking or hiking;
your choice.
Top with a campfire,
toasted marshmallows,
and gooey, chocolatey s’mores,
under a star-filled sky.
© Catherine Flynn, 2014
Thank you, as always, to Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, and Beth for hosting Slice of Life each Tuesday. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.
Reading to the Core 
So descriptive, so concise, so wise, and so fun–you’ve painted a perfect summer day perfectly!
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Lovely. I just got home from a trip to Ontario, Canada and this could have been written there. Thanks!
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I have used that poem with students but not for me. Fun. I love how you took the setting, added the animals, then you humans. Sounds like a magical place.
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Catherine, I enjoyed this reflection and the lovely serene shot. Would you like to submit this for my Summer Serenity Gallery that I will unveil at the end of this month? Let me know what you think.
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Iridescent dragonflies, gooey chocolatey s’mores, …perfect! Enjoy your summer days! I only have 4 left!
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I love this! I remember a line from some famous poet about capturing the memory of a host of daffodils? for savoring on a dreary winter day…a bit like as Frederick the mouse gathers sunbeams. You have captured the day vividly. These words will be delightful nice to revisit in January. I have been rereading Lucy Calkins Living Between the Lines. When we see our life through what she calls “Wide-open eyes”, we remember it better. Such a great memory you have.
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Thanks, Julie! Frederick is one of my favorite picture books, and I did feel a little like him 🙂
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This is amazing! Such a slice! And indeed, a perfect summer day.
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Beautiful! I spent time in the Poconos once, finally heard the loons… Glad you had this special time.
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You have captured beauty, peace and joy in your poem. This is indeed a perfect summer day recipe. I am glad you shared with us.
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Your destination sounds heavenly. You found just the right words to capture the beauty of your recipe for summer day perfection.
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That sounds perfect! I feel like you took me with you. I just got back from nature-filled Maine and yes, it was bliss too.
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Maine is very similar to northern Wisconsin. My husband and I both went to Univ. of Maine, and visited my in-laws’ camp on a loon-filled lake “down east” for years until they moved to Pennsylvania. Glad you enjoyed your visit!
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I love this, Catherine–especially the birds and dragonfly. Those feel like perfectly captured moments. Loons are just so wonderful–have you read Half a Chance?
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And thanks for the shoutout:>)
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Thanks, Laura. I actually read Half a Chance on the plane ride home and loved it. This poem was basically finished at that point, and reading the book made it feel like I was still at the lake!
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I LOVE this for so many reasons! I can feel the relaxed joyful calm and restfulness at the lake. I can actually BE there too. Love the form of a recipe… Feels like I can “make it mine and it makes me want to use the recipe format to write one of my own… To play with this around different settings – which u know I’m ON about… And situations / moods / tones. (Didn’t even realize this was YOU Catherine until ready to post! What a fun discovery.
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Catherine,
Your recipe for summer fun is also a “mini-lesson” for great descriptive writing! This format seems so perfect for your description. (It makes me also wonder what else you tried!)
As I was reading your poem, I felt like I was being transported (a basic “Calgon” moment!) through time and space so I could look over your shoulder and through your eyes!
A great mentor piece for me to come back and revisit! Thanks so much! And kudos for this and attending #TCRWP simultaneously! ❤
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